1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a booklet album in which a plurality of photographs are directly bound as a booklet. The present invention also relates to a binding apparatus for making the booklet album.
2. Description of the Related Art
A photograph binding apparatus for making a booklet album by attaching one side of a bundle of photographs to a cover sheet, is known, for example from Japanese Laid-open Patent Application No. 2295796 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 5,026,236). Such an apparatus is intended to make the storage and viewing of photographs efficient and convenient.
The cover sheet is made of cardboard or the like, and has an adhesive layer thereon. After a bundle of photographs are stuck to the adhesive layer, the cover sheet is bent in a channel shape to form a front cover portion, a back or spine cover portion, and a rear cover portion. The adhesive layer is applied on the rear surface of the back cover portion, i.e., the spine side.
The conventional photograph binding apparatus is provided with a pair of nipping plates disposed parallel to each other and extending vertically. A bundle of photographs are nipped between these nipping plates, and the lower end and one side of the bundle are abutted against straightening trays. A motor of a photograph end straightening mechanism is driven to vibrate the photographs to straighten the lower end and the one side of the bundle. Thereafter, the nipping plates are moved into a bonding position. Then, a bonding mechanism bonds the lower ends of the photographs to the adhesive layer of the cover sheet. The bonding mechanism has a press roller which is moved by a link mechanism. The press roller is protruded through a slot of the stage supporting the cover sheet and the bundle is moved lengthwise along the lower end of the bundle so as to press the adhesive layer onto the lower end of the bundle.
However, the wide cover sheets used for making the booklet albums are difficult to handle and require a large space for storage. Furthermore, it is necessary to provide a large stage for supporting the wide cover sheet and a large space for accommodating the photograph end straightening mechanism in the binding apparatus. As a result, the binding apparatus itself must be large.
The bonding mechanism of the known binding apparatus also needs a large space therefor, because the press roller must be moved along the lower ends of the photographs so as to gradually stick the adhesive layer of the cover sheet to the lower ends. Moreover, because the press roller presses the adhesive layer uniformly, the force applied to the adhesive layer is distributed, so that the pressure is reduced to result in insufficient or inefficient bonding.
Furthermore, because the thickness of the booklet album varies according to the number of photographs in the bundle, and the cover sheet is bent correspondingly, the adhesive layer may be too wide if there is a small number of photographs. Accordingly, the excess adhesive may adhere to the surfaces of the first and last photographs of the bundle when the cover sheet is bent. In order to prevent this problem, it is necessary to place a sheet of paper on either side of the bundle of the photographs.